Ernesto Noronha, Ph.D., and Premilla D’Cruz, Ph.D.,Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

• Global service delivery network • Offshoring and outsourcing of service-related processes that

can be enabled by information technology• Call centres and back offices undertaking generic and

specialized (KPO) work • International and domestic sub-sectors• Growth between 2004-2005 to 2009-2010

Exports – US$ 4.6 to 12.4 billion Domestic revenues – US$ 0.6 to 2.0 billion

• Employment between 2004-2005 to 2009-2010316,000 to 738,000 direct employees

NASSCOM, 2010• Young, educated workforce with a good gender representation • Full-time, permanent employment• Workforce covered by labour legislation

D’Cruz & Noronha, 2010; Noronha & D’Cruz, 2009a

Service level agreements (SLAs) with clientsJob design elementsTechno-bureaucratic controlsWork conditions

Material gainsEmployee relations

Crossvergence Socioideological controls (the notion of

professionalism)D’Cruz & Noronha, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010;

Noronha & D’Cruz, 2006a, 2007, 2008, 2009a, 2010

AmbivalenceDeterrents to collective voice

Issue of livelihoodCultural pre-occupation with social status and materialism (Sinha,

2008)Perceptions about labour lawsPerceptions about unionsPerceptions of employer support Employer claims and dictates

Role of NASSCOM Government apathy D’Cruz & Noronha, 2009, 2010; Noronha & D’Cruz, 2006b, 2009a, 2009b, 2010

International unions (UNI) in the 1990sITPF (UNI/UNIAPRO) in 2000 – Bangalore and Hyderabad, IT sector, association/forum, servicing CBPOP (UNI/UNIAPRO) in 2004 – Bangalore and Hyderabad, ITES-BPO sector, union, organizing

CBPOP chapters at different stages UNITES Professionals formed in September 2005 (CBPOP ceased to exist)

Divergent world-views of senior trade unionists and ITES-BPO employees

5 chapters (Bangalore – headquarters, Hyderabad, Chennai, New Delhi/NCR, Cochin)

Link with UNI/UNIAPRO

Noronha & D’Cruz, 2006b, 2009a, 2009b, 2010

Activity Envisaged Executed

Registration For the entire organization For Bangalore only

Committee composition and functioning

Committee to be formed via free and fair elections and emphasis on diversity

Regular meetings

Changes made in an ad hoc manner without consultation of office bearers and members

Meetings not held regularly

Committee training Training in industrial relations, labour laws, human resource management, organizational behaviour and leadership

No

Sectoral focus ITES-BPO exclusively Forays into IT, garments, security, retail, etc.

Organizing Membership recruitment, mobilizing and representation, employer and state partnerships, GFAs

Campaign on safety of women employees, representation of laid-off employees, collective bargaining agreements with 4 SMEs in domestic ITES-BPO

Servicing Support for personal well-being

Education and training opportunities

Professional network

No

Coalitions with NGOs and other social movements

Yes No

Current position of UNITES – internal conflict and claims about UNIAPRO funding and support (Noronha & D’Cruz, 2006b, 2009a, 2009b, 2010, ongoing)

Challenges Possibilities and suggestions

Intra-organizational functioning•Leadership, vision and strategy •Ad hocism

Organizational design issues (Frege & Kelly, 2003; Noronha, 2003)•Leadership•Culture•Vision and strategy•Internal functioning

Government’s apathy and employer’s political influence (Coe et al, 2008; Keune, 2009; Taylor & Bain, 2008)

Backing of international law (Gumbrell-McCormick, 2008)

Employee indifference Mobilization of membership through a bottom-up, democratic and self-sustaining approach (Gall, 2009; Noronha, 2003)•Employee identity•Employee aspirations •Perceptions of employers and workplaces•Perceptions of unions •Generational differences in values and world-views

Employer’s bargaining position linked to its ‘mobility differential’ (Cumbers et al, 2008a; Keune, 2009)

Challenges to ‘relatively fixed’ capital in terms of labour’s non-substitutable attributes (Gumbrell-McCormick, 2008; Taylor & Bain, 2008)

Questioning of employer’s contradictions and shortcomings (Taylor & Bain, 2008)

Challenges Possibilities and suggestions

Activities to include a balanced mix of both organizing and servicing as well as partnership and militancy

Affiliation to national and international trade unions (Noronha & Beale, 2011; Taylor & Bain, 2008)•Success of national unions in other sectors •Role of UNI (‘Offshoring Charter’ and GFAs)•Internationalist stand that focuses on labour’s common interests and employer’s doublespeak and failures •Close interaction with leaders and members of international unions beyond mere funding

Links with national and international NGOs, social movements and justice networks (Cumbers et al, 2008b; Gumbrell-McCormick, 2008; Martinez Lucio, 2010; Noronha, 2003)

Expansion of agenda to include political goals and action (Gumbrell-McCormick, 2008)